DFO audits of sea lice at finfish aquaculture sites

Licence holders must submit a Health Management Plan to DFO that includes sea lice management. The results of industry’s sea lice assessments of Atlantic salmon are provided to DFO monthly and posted to this website quarterly.

DFO biologists and veterinarians conduct regular assessments throughout the year to verify the accuracy of licence holders’ procedures and reporting. The DFO Sea Lice Audit Report shows the results of DFO’s random quarterly lice audits, which coincide with one of the licence holder's numerous scheduled counts. To assure quality, farm staff count lice on 50 per cent of the selected fish and DFO staff count lice on the other half.